Betty Quinn

[Catche Jagger]

Name: Betty Quinn
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Grade: 12
School: John Endecott Memorial Academy
Hobbies and Interests: Theater, tutoring, lawn games, self-help

Appearance: Betty stands at 5’5'', weighs 120 pounds, and is biologically of Korean descent. Betty’s build is relatively average, emphasized by a desire to make herself appear welcoming and unimposing to most peers. Her hair is black and cut just a bit below her ears, parted to the sides and to affect a simple, clean look. She has a button nose, styles her eyebrows in a rounded fashion, and her lips are full and slightly upturned. In terms of makeup, Betty tends to stick to neutral tones in order to affect a natural look but will highlight her brown eyes with some bold eyeshadow in order to emphasize them, particularly for events she considers to be important. She often dresses in a preppy style, emphasizing a sense of structure.

On the day of the abduction, Betty was wearing a red peacoat, a white blouse, a black skirt reaching to her knees underneath which she was wearing a pair of black nylons and a pair of heeled, black boots.

Biography: Erik and Jennifer Quinn, both Salem natives, met one another and began dating when both were in their late 20s. Both came from homes with troubled parents who had split up and were determined to take their time and get things right if they ever were to get married or have children. As such, they had reached their mid-30s before they felt ready to take on such a commitment, only to discover that they could not conceive a child through traditional means, and so turned to adoption

Born to biological parents she would never know, Betty was put up for adoption while still in her infancy. Before her second birthday, she would be adopted by Erik and Jennifer. It was they who named her Betty.

Though Betty led a rather charmed life at home, with parents that were eager to meet her needs, she had a great deal of difficulty in adjusting to the social situation she was faced with upon going to school for the first time. She often got into arguments with other students and her teachers characterized Betty’s behavior as controlling and bossy and claimed that the girl was prone to drastic swings in mood in discussions with her parents, but Jennifer and Erik were reluctant to see the difficulties their daughter’s behavior was causing.

After multiple years worth of disciplinary issues, Jennifer and Erik considered paying to move Betty into a private school, believing that the failures laid with the poor standards of teaching within the public education system.

However, in the third grade, Betty found herself in class with four other girls that shared her first name. Finding some sense of kinship through this arbitrary similarity, Betty worked hard to impress these girls, which resulted in a steady shift in how the girl presented herself. Previously harsh and demanding, Betty softened with her new friends, eager to help them whenever they were in need. These tendencies became more ingrained over time and, in the ensuing years, Betty became more like the girl her parents had seen her as.

Within this group of Bettys, which continues to remain close through the present day, Betty Quinn has often occupied a leadership role, wanting to guide her friends in directions that are most beneficial to them. However, this has resulted in some tension between herself and Betty Black, who also often acts in a position of authority within the group. In order to avoid confusion regarding the name situation, Betty often goes by her surname, Quinn, around school and mutual friends.

The turn in Betty’s attitude saw a sharp decline in disciplinary incidents to the point where they seemed to vanish altogether, and her grades also saw an upturn. With the situation seemingly handled, Erik and Jennifer decided against their considered solution moving their daughter into private school.

It was in middle school that Betty first became involved with a school theater program in a production of Beauty and the Beast. Not having much of a natural singing voice, Betty was made a background part, but she still found herself deeply enjoying the experience. Determined to be more involved, Betty worked to improve her performance abilities, with her parents even getting some voice lessons for her. Though her involvement in theater stretches through the present day and she has improved massively, she still is most frequently cast in major supporting roles, rather than as a true star. However, this has not stopped her from becoming a notable figure within the drama club, frequently volunteering to take on extra duties and act as a guiding hand for her peers where necessary.

It was also during middle school that the group of Bettys began to play assorted lawn games together, a habit that became a sort of tradition among the group. Of the games they played, Betty found that she had a particular affinity for bocce, whereas she struggled with the game of horseshoes.

Come high school, Betty’s grades had improved to the point where she was now one of the top students within the class and she was guided towards becoming a peer tutor, to assist classmates who had fallen behind with their own grades. The job was extremely rewarding for Betty, though early on she did have a tendency to get frustrated at the students she was tutoring a bit too quickly. At the current date, she’s one of the more reliable tutors at John Endecott, helping a few students with a variety of subjects, though primarily with literature courses.

It was particularly in high school that her occasionally overzealous commitment to drama club earned her some extra scrutiny. None accused her actions of being mean-spirited, but there were certainly some peers that came to see her tendency to use a sense of social savvy to do what she felt needed to be done to reach the desired ends as being a bit manipulative. She's done her best to assuage such concerns, but they have stuck with some circles.

Betty does try to be mindful of her own mental health, being made aware through interactions with peers and online just how important it is to maintain one’s emotional well-being. Concerned about the possible effects of neglecting her mental health, Betty found herself turning to various self-help podcasts and books in order to help keep her focused on healthy habits, such as a good sleep schedule, personal cleanliness, and regular exercise, and on keeping a positive mindset in her day-to-day existence.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Betty did struggle a bit with the sense of isolation she felt from her friends, with whom she spent so much time previously. However, doubling down on her self-help techniques and taking on a more regimented lifestyle helped her to push through the situation and avoid weakening her previously established social bonds.

With strong performances across her classes, though again with a particular strength in literature, Betty intends to continue on to college in the fall of next year. As things stand, her plan is to focus on theater and education as fields of study. She does have some concern about what it would mean for her to separate from her friends, but she has put off thinking on such matters too deeply, as she has learned through her self-help that thinking too far into the future can cause anyone to catastrophize.

Advantages: Betty is a diligent worker, which has previously allowed her to do so well in classes. Additionally, she is a rather skilled actor, through her focus on always improving her skills as a performer. Betty is also in a rather strong social position, with her close friendships with the Bettys alongside other friends made through a friendly nature and few that could be called enemies.
Disadvantages: Betty places a high value upon her friendships, particularly with the other Bettys, and is unlikely to be able to just disregard those bonds, even should such a move be to her benefit. Additionally, she currently lives and has gotten used to a rather regimented lifestyle, which could prove problematic in the face of a large-scale disruption of said lifestyle.

[Ruggahissy]

Hello there, Catche Jagger. My name is Ruggahissy and I'll be your moderator for this lengthy critique. Come, follow me to the critique area.

- What does it mean that her hair is parted to the sides? Does she have a middle part? Side part? I'm imagining she has something like a very short bob that goes just past her earlobes.

- Face shape?

- What do her parents do for a living?

- How's her relationship with her parents in present day?

(secret extra bonus question you don't actually have to answer, is croquet among her lawn game interests given other subtle references?)

That's it. Feel free to reach out with questions, concerns, comments, tips for the wait staff. Post when edits are done.

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